Cole County is proposing to increase its budget by 4.64 percent next year.
Auditor Kristen Berhorst presented a proposed budget of $65.4 million for 2016, up from $62.5 million in 2015.
"There has been a slight increase in sales tax revenue, but there was a decrease in property tax due to this being a rollback year," Berhorst said. "We did see an increase in federal fees for housing federal prisoners at the county jail compared to last year."
Total expenditures are nearly $45 million, with $8.7 million in infrastructure projects and $16.6 million in public safety/law enforcement activities.
The auditor's budget has a 2 percent COLA increase and a 2 percent merit pool, which is a reserve account to give merit raises in each county department.
There are four new employees proposed for the sheriff's department: three jailers in the county jail and one detective in the patrol division.
There is also a part-time position proposed for the marshal's office within the circuit courts.
Capital expenses in the sheriff's department show $297,000 to purchase new vehicles, radio upgrades, Tazers and computer equipment.
For the ambulance service, expenses include new cots, replacing radios and a director's vehicle.
In 2016, the budget for capital improvement sales tax projects has cooperative projects with Jefferson City including improvements at Stadium Boulevard and Jefferson Street for $951,000. There is also $100,000 for improvements on Capital Avenue, although what exactly will be done is still being worked out. There's $2.4 million for Swift Road/Boise Brule Road upgrades; and, like last year, there is $1 million for resurfacing. There's also $425,000 to go to communities in the county for various projects.
Berhorst said reserves in all funds are up and healthy, at or above their target levels of 8 to 15 percent of basic revenue.
Sales tax revenue, which is the county's major source of revenue, will be up in 2015 and is projected to stay at 2015 levels in 2016.
"Reserve and general funds are high and make over 50 percent of total resources," Berhorst said. "There's nothing in the proposed budget about county building needs. We still have the $2.5 million that had been looked at for improvements to the old jail and sheriff's house. That has been setting in reserves. There's been nothing committed to any project so that's still there."
The County Commission will spend much of the rest of this month and December to go through the budget. A meeting with department heads and elected officials is scheduled for Dec. 1. They are scheduled to vote to approve the budget on Jan. 7.